Chaos and destruction is my game, not yours

[zybala]

"I know i said i wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, but this is a little too on the nose…l"

: Long Island, New York. More specifically, the inside of the Nassau Coliseum. The OCW crew are setting things up, building the ring, positioning the chairs, the normal stuff. Strader has ordered them to get things done early because she wants everything to go right. But this is wrestling. She has too high expectations. Damn slave driver. Anyways, among the people is Mike Zybala. He is helping the ring crew set up. A man of the people, he is. He is also placing fire extinguishers under the ring. :

" This possible retirement tour isn't going the way I wanted it to go. I've been staring up at the lights and the sky more often than I want. All of these losses are cementing the idea that I'm losing my touch and can't hang anymore. But I've never been the type to just go away quietly. I'm still gonna cause as much havoc as I can and entertain the fans as I've been doing for almost twenty years. Jesus, I'm getting old. Not Outcast old, but still…. I hate that 40 is only two and half years away. "

: Zybala is testing a few of the fire extinguishers, causing a few of the nearby ring crew to start coughing and spluttering. One of the people that didn't get caught in the blast asks Zybala what he's doing. He goes on a long winded tangent about The All Consuming Fire needing to be put out and an extinguisher is the best way to do it.
They all groan at the horrible dad joke-esq analogy. A big argument starts about Zybala being more of a hindrance than an actual help. Zybala counters that he's an owner and can do what he wants. The ring crew counters that all the extinguishers work and they don't need Zybala's "help" anymore. Zybala walks away in a huff as the ring crew talk about him being ridiculous and too on the nose with his over the top references. :

"When I signed up for the next Massacre, I was upset when I was told that there were no spots left. But then The All Consuming Fire nearly jumped at the chance to face me instead of Zeus. That made me excited because I would be fighting someone new; which is the whole point of The Overindulgent Possible Retirement Tour. I know that there is a very good chance that my match against PIC will be my last, so why would I waste my time with repeats? I'm gonna fight as many new people (to me that is) as possible.

ACF fits that criteria. He also fits the description of a Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers. The man looks like a certified monster, despite his last loss. He also talks as if those movie killers are a template to build a life around. He also acts like that should scare me. If I was some newbie, or a little more sane, it would. The guy is vicious and looks like he could swing a camper in a sleeping bag to beat another camper to death. Sadly for his ego, his shtick is nothing new to me. At this stage in my career, the phrase "you've never faced someone like me" literally does not apply. I've faced superstars, legends, monsters, killers, people who thought they were robots. Long story shirt, you don't scare me.

I'm not sure if it's too late to accept your challenge of a death match (because Dre probably already started writing our match) but I accept. Let's get violent. I've never shied away from going hardcore, and I'm not gonna start this late in the game. Like you said, I only have a handful of matches left, so I wanna make them memorable. You can get as brutal as you want, and I'll respond in kind. Let's see if you can actually add a scar to my collection. Just don't be surprised when you're not the one who ends my career. Don't be surprised when you discover that my violence is a little more weird than you anticipated. And please, don't come crying to me when you're the one with a shortened career at the end."

: The ring crew has finally finished setting up the ring. Of course, they'll give it a last look the day of the show, but for now they are done. The seats are set up, the ring stands proud, and we can assume all sorts of toys have been placed under the ring. This crew has earned their checks. They are taking a break, checking their phones, chatting away, and relaxing after a job well done. The chill feeling goes away when they start hearing a low rumbling. The noise gets louder and is followed by a loud air horn. A loud crunch is heard when a fire truck crashes into the stage! The truck doesn't stop and pushes the stage as the truck continues its path towards the ramp. The ring crew stares in shock as the fire truck forces its way towards the ring, knocking and running over chairs and barricades. It finally stops halfway to the ring and the driver door opens. Anger fills everyone's expressions as Mike Zybala exits the fire truck. :

"When I laid down my challenge to the world champ, it was fueled by nothing but desperation. I don't have that many good years left in my career so why not lay it all on the line and blow my proverbial wad? It was the best way to ensure that I would get at least one more title shot before I hang up the boots for good. I always had an ego. That had nothing to do with my decision. If you had a career like mine, you would have a massive ego too. Besides, you and the rest of the locker room have been doing nothing but making my ego even bigger since my announcement.

Just like you did, ACF, everyone else is tripping over themselves to get one last match with me. THAT'S the legacy I will leave behind. The kind where other wrestlers will go out of their way to make sure to have one last match with me before I quit. Win or lose, they want to be able to say they fought Mike Zybala under the bright lights. Just like you, they want to get that Zybala rub. Because no matter how many times I've lost lately, I'm still a goddamn legend in this sport! A win over me does wonders for a career. A loss to me doesn't hurt a record because I'm just that good. I wonder how many people are lining up begging for a match against you??"

: Zybala starts to walk around the fire truck, looking for the hose as the ring crew start to form an angry mob. They go over to Zybala and start yelling and screaming at him, calling him all sorts of names. Zybala tries to calm them down and explain his actions. :


Zybala: Guys, calm down. I'm not gonna leave the truck here the whole time. I just wanted to see if the truck would fit.

Crew member: Look at the damage! It's gonna take hours to fix this! What the fuck were you thinking?

Zybala: That I was going to put out the All Consuming Fire in a very exaggerated, over the top way. Can't really be all consuming when a fire hose is dowsing you.

C.M.: Did you clear this with Ms. Strader?! How did you even get the truck?!?!

Zybala: Why do people keep forgetting that I'm an owner? I don't need Victoria's permission for anything. As for the truck… Well, money can make a lot of things happen. Plus, I have a CDL license, so I'm trained to drive big trucks like this.

C.M.: But you didn't have to drive it here! Look at this mess! We're gonna be here hours longer trying to fix everything!

Zybala: Geez, sorry. No need to be butt hurt over it. How about if I offer overtime??


: The crew looks dubiously at Zybala. Overtime? This never gets offered overtime. The tightwads in payroll try to keep the guys on as tight a leash as possible. Gotta save the big bucks for the wrestlers after all. :


C.M.: You can get us overtime? How? Payroll is full of Scrooge McDucks.

Zybala:......We literally just had an argument about me being a part owner. I can make them pay you. Here, let me get the truck out of the way so you can work and earn that sweet, sweet cash.


: Zybala runs back into the truck and puts it in reverse. The screech of metal on metal echoes in the empty arena as the truck backs up as everyone covers their ears. Zybala keeps backing into things much to the dismay of the ring crew as the scene fades to black. :

"When you get to be around as long as me, you don't ever wonder "who's next?" You wonder "who's new?" Which is why I'm so glad that ACF called me out. Someone fresh. Someone who's moves I don't know inside out. Someone with that new car smell. I love facing new people, to find out first hand how they operate in the ring. How dangerous they can be. How violent. I don't care how big or violent you are Mister Fire. At this stage in my career, I literally stopped giving a shit about the danger. To be fair, I've never been one for caution. Throwing caution to the wind is my bread and butter, and like Olive Garden, I have unlimited bread.

I want to see how violent you can be. I want you to come at me with reckless abandon, because that's what you'll get from me. We'll have a good old fashioned no holds barred brawl. You called me a sacrifice for your cause for blood lust or whatever and that Strader is setting me up for slaughter and I'll be consumed by flames and all that jazz. The only thing that will be burned alive is your hopes of making a name at the expense of mine. You want me to make you famous. You want to move up in the ranks by beating a GUARANTEED future Hall of Famer. What you want don't mean shit to me. The only thing you'll get is the honor of being a footnote on the road to me finally winning the world title. You NEED to face me to matter in OCW. The only thing I need from you is to be another notch in my win column. And don't worry, your compliance isn't required.